Utilizing maternal prenatal cognition as a predictor of newborn brain measures of intellectual development

Abstract

Identifying reliable indicators of cognitive functioning prior to age five has been challenging. Prior studies have shown that maternal cognition, as indexed by intellectual quotient (IQ) and years of education, predict child intelligence at school age. We examined whether maternal full scale IQ, education, and inhibitory control (index of executive function) are associated with newborn brain measures and toddler language outcomes to assess potential indicators of early cognition. We hypothesized that maternal indices of cognition would be associated with brain areas implicated in intelligence in school-age children and adults in the newborn period. Thirty-seven pregnant women and their newborns underwent an MRI scan. T₂-weighted images and surface-based morphometric analysis were used to compute local brain volumes in newborn infants. Maternal cognition indices were associated with local brain volumes for infants in the anterior and posterior cingulate, occipital lobe, and pre/postcentral gyrus - regions associated with IQ, executive function, or sensori-motor functions in children and adults. Maternal education and executive function, but not maternal intelligence, were associated with toddler language scores at 12 and 24 months. Newborn brain volumes did not predict language scores. Overall, the pre/postcentral gyrus and occipital lobe may be unique indicators of early intellectual development in the newborn period. Given that maternal executive function as measured by inhibitory control has robust associations with the newborn brain and is objective, brief, and easy to administer, it may be a useful predictor of early developmental and cognitive capacity for young children.

Keywords: IQ; Maternal cognition; executive function; newborn brain morphology.

Figure 1.. Correlation of Cerebral Surface Measures with Maternal Full Scale IQ

There were significant inverse correlations of local brain volumes in infants and maternal full scale IQ across the lateral surface of the occipital lobe; while we detected significant positive correlations with maternal full scale IQ in the frontal lobe and pre/postcentral gyrus of the right hemisphere. The circle on the surface of the template brain indicates where the data were sampled to generate the scatterplot. P-values are FDR-adjusted for the number of statistical comparisons across the brain surface, color-coded, and displayed on the template brain, with warm colors (red and yellow) denoting outward deviations or protrusions and cool colors (purple and blue) denoting inward deviations or indentations associated with the independent variables. Abbreviations: FG – fusiform gyrus; IOG – inferior occipital gyrus; IPL – inferior parietal lobule; ITG – inferior temporal gyrus; MFG – middle frontal gyrus; MOG – middle occipital gyrus; MTG – middle temporal gyrus; OFG – orbitofrontal gyrus; PrPo – pre/postcentral gyrus; SFG – superior frontal gyrus; LG – lingual gyrus; TP – temporal pole

Figure 2.. Correlation of Cerebral Surface Measures with Maternal Education

There were significant inverse correlations of local brain volumes in infants and maternal education in the inferior temporal lobe of the left hemisphere and the occipital lobe while there are significant positive correlations with maternal education in the pre/postcentral gyrus, anterior cingulate cortex of the right hemisphere and the medial occipital lobe bilaterally. The circle on the surface of the template brain indicates where the data were sampled to generate the scatterplot. P-values are FDR-adjusted for the number of statistical comparisons across the brain surface, color-coded, and displayed on the template brain, with warm colors (red and yellow) denoting outward deviations or protrusions and cool colors (purple and blue) denoting inward deviations or indentations associated with the independent variables. Abbreviations: ACC – anterior cingulate cortex; FG – fusiform gyrus; GR – gyrus rectus; ITG – inferior temporal gyrus; MFG – middle frontal gyrus; PCC – posterior cingulate cortex; PrPo – pre/postcentral gyrus; SFG – superior frontal gyrus; LG – lingual gyrus; PCing – posterior cingulate; Cun – cuneus; PrCun – precuneus

Figure 3.. Correlation of Cerebral Surface Measures with Maternal Inhibitory Control

There were significant inverse correlations of local brain volumes in infants and maternal inhibitory control across the cingulate cortex, ventromedial prefrontal cortex, the temporo-parieto-occipital junction, and in the medial surface of the occipital lobe of the left hemisphere. The circle on the surface of the template brain indicates where the data were sampled to generate the scatterplot. P-values are FDR-adjusted for the number of statistical comparisons across the brain surface, color-coded, and displayed on the template brain, with warm colors (red and yellow) denoting outward deviations or protrusions and cool colors (purple and blue) denoting inward deviations or indentations associated with the independent variables. Abbreviations: ACC – anterior cingulate cortex; GR – gyrus rectus; IOG – inferior occipital gyrus; IPL – inferior parietal lobule; ITG – inferior temporal gyrus; MFG – middle frontal gyrus; MOG – middle occipital gyrus; MTG – middle temporal gyrus; PrPo – pre/postcentral gyrus; SFG – superior frontal gyrus; STG – superior temporal gyrus; LG – lingual gyrus; PCing – posterior cingulate; Cun – cuneus; PrCun – precuneus